The present invention relates to an apparatus for the distribution of video, data and telephony and other telecommunications services within a residence.
Advances in the field of telecommunications allow large amounts of digital information to be delivered to residences. Inside the residence, devices can be connected to the network by twisted wire pairs which provide telephone services today, or by coaxial cable similar to that used by cable operators to provide cable TV services.
However, it may not be possible to transmit high-speed digital data over the twisted wire pairs in the home, and coaxial cable wiring is not present in all homes. Furthermore, there may be neighborhoods in which some homes have coaxial cable wiring which will support devices for the reception and transmission of high-speed digital data, while some of the homes do not. Since devices for communication over the coaxial wiring will be made available to the residents by a telecommunications service provider, it would be advantageous to have a means for distributing high-speed digital data in those homes which do not have coaxial cable wiring which is compatible with the devices used in the homes with coaxial cable wiring.
For the foregoing reasons, there is a need for a means of distributing high-speed data signals within a residence which is connected to a broadband access system.
A wireless gateway located in a residence is connected to a broadband access system and transmits data received from the network to the devices in the residence using wireless transmission techniques, and receives data from the devices using wireless transmission techniques, and transmits that data onto the broadband access network.
In a preferred embodiment a downstream Time Division Multiplexed Quadrature Amplitude Modulated signal which is spectrally spread using a direct sequence signal in one or more 22 MHz wide channels in the 2.4 GHz range is transmitted from the wireless gateway to the devices in the residence at a data rate in the range of 10-30 Mb/s. An upstream signal which is Quadrature Amplitude Modulated and spectrally spread is transmitted from each device to the wireless gateway in one of eleven 22 MHz wide channels in the 2.4 GHz frequency range. In the upstream direction Time Division Multiple Access is used to permit each of the devices to access the upstream channel. Spreading of the spectrum is used in both the downstream and upstream directions to reduce interference between different residences which have wireless gateways. The 22 MHz channels available to the gateway are overlapping but centered at different frequencies. Different residences can use the same spectrum, but the different centering of the channels and spreading of the spectrum prevent interference between signals from the devices in one home and wireless gateway in an adjacent home and visa-versa.
In an alternate embodiment one 60.5 MHz wide channel is used for downstream communications from the wireless gateway to the devices at a data rate in the range of 10-30 Mb/s. The downstream signal is a Time Division Multiplexed signal which is Quadrature Amplitude Modulated onto a carrier centered at 2.430 GHz. The signal is spectrally spread using a code. In the upstream direction a 20.875 MHz channel centered at 2.473 GHz is used to transmit data a rate in the range of 2-6 Mb/s, using Quadrature Amplitude Modulation with spectral spreading. In the upstream direction Time Division Multiple Access is used to permit each of the devices to access the upstream channel. As in the downstream direction, codes are used to spread the spectrum.
In the alternate embodiment codes are used to reduce interference between homes. This is possible because the codes used by different homes are orthogonal or quasi-orthogonal, and gateways and devices in one home which receive signals from gateways or devices in another home are able to distinguish desirable from undesirable signals because the codes used in each home are different.
In the event that the codes used by adjacent homes are identical, the first gateway to determine that there is interference from another gateway will alter its code to one which is not subject to interference.